Low-fat chicken salad contains fewer calories and less fat than traditional chicken salad. The chicken is normally prepared without any additional oil, and the dressing is typically a low-fat type as well. There may be chunks of various fruits or vegetables in this low-fat food. It can be eaten as an appetizer, snack, or the main course of a meal. This salad is typically very creamy and easy to spread.
Breast meat is often used to make low-fat chicken salad because this is normally very lean. Many cooks like to remove the skin before cooking chicken breasts as this can also help reduce the number of calories this meat contains. The chicken can be prepared by boiling, baking, or grilling; however frying the meat in oil is not recommended. After cooking, the chicken is usually cut into small pieces, or shredded, before it is used to make the salad.
Pickles and celery are often diced and then added to the chicken. Some people like to add fruit such as grapes or apple slices to the mixture as well. Once all the main ingredients are combined, a low-fat dressing such as light mayonnaise, yogurt, or Italian dressing may be used to create the low-fat chicken salad.
There are many ways to serve low-fat chicken salad. It can be spread in the center of celery sticks to make an appetizer or on top of crackers to be eaten as a snack. Perhaps the most common way of eating this low-fat food is as the main course of a lunch or dinner meal. The salad could be placed on a croissant, bagel, or slices of bread to make a sandwich or simply served on a bed of lettuce. When enjoyed in this way, low-fat chicken salad is sometimes accompanied by sliced tomatoes, pickle spears, or potato chips.
The texture of low-fat chicken salad is somewhat smooth yet chunky. As such, it is normally very easy to make sandwiches or appetizers with this food. Although it is normally light in color, there may be splashes of green or red throughout because of the fruit, pickles, or celery added. After this salad has been mixed and prepared, it should be eaten at once for maximum freshness. Leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator and used within two or three days to keep this low-fat food from spoiling.
